Total eclipse of the carts: Masters practice halts for one-off spectacle
- Experience the excitement as Masters practice comes to a standstill for a unique spectacle. Witness the total eclipse of the carts in this one-of-a-kind event.
- With its branded sunglasses, Augusta National capitalizes on the “pretty wild” moment and quickly becomes a must-have item.
It’s said that owls and bats emerge during a solar eclipse. Hippos have been observed making their way to their nocturnal eating grounds; bees have been observed flying back to their hives and not coming out again until the sun returns; crickets have started to chirp; mosquitoes have emerged for the evening; and spiders have taken down their webs to shield them from the evening dew. The last time a solar eclipse occurred in this area, researchers at the South Carolina zoo’s Riverbanks saw that the gibbons began barking and that a few of Galapagos tortoises started mating right away.
The wildlife in and around Augusta National was behaving strangely during this one as well. One of the more unusual behaviors saw was people congregating outside of the shade and crane their necks to look up at the clear blue spring sky. Sighs, abrupt and frequent swearing, and other peculiar noises were also heard. “Oh my god! A man at Amen Corner’s grandstand exclaimed, “IT’S HAPPENING!” as the moon made its first tiny nibble out of the bottom corner of the sun.
Ninety minutes till the end of the world, spoken by someone seated a few rows behind him. “Well, I can think of worse ways to spend it,” his sardonic companion replied.
There have been ominous alerts. Georgia’s 14th district representative, Republican crank Marjorie Taylor-Greene, had issued a dire warning on X, saying, “God is sending America strong signs to repent.” There will be earthquakes, eclipses, and many other phenomena. A pick-up truck with the warning sign, “God sends national calamities to punish national sins,” fastened to the roof was circling the parking lot outside the golf course. Well, at Augusta National, the final moments proved to be enjoyable. Brian Harman, who was just rounding the bend when the eclipse began, remarked, “I think I timed it pretty good to get to watch the end of the world at Augusta National.”
Everyone in attendance had received a free set of solar glasses from the club. Naturally, they were green, and on the inside was written, “Created exclusively for the Masters Tournament,” along with the well-known yellow logo. It made the practice on Monday night into one of the biggest American viewing parties. By midday, the club appeared to be among the only locations in the city still stocking safety glasses. Social media users were posting messages requesting information on stores that could still have some in stock. Rumor had it that some were still accessible at the Circle K to the west of the city.
Even Augusta National was running low by the afternoon. Emiliano Grillo, Vijay Singh, and Camillo Villegas had to borrow their glasses from some onlookers, who made care to return them after they were done. The three of them were watching from the oak tree in front of the clubhouse. Will Zalatoris declared, “I will cherish my pair for the entirety of my life; they are priceless collectibles that will remain in my office forever.”
The club’s inability to plan for the eclipse’s centerline to pass precisely overhead was the lone source of disappointment. You wondered whether Fred Ridley, the chairman, hadn’t merely adjusted it so that the sun took a quick detour to the south, given the way things are done around here. Augusta was 400 miles away from the totality as it was. At the peak, which occurred at 3:08 PM, slightly more than 75% of the sun was obscured. Despite the lack of clouds in the sky, the club chose to turn on the floodlights at the driving range due to the chilly air and foggy light.
It was so cloudy that playing in the sunshine damaged his eyes, according to 18-year-old Sahith Theegala, who was watching from the green: “It was pretty wild.” Everyone halted for a brief period of time, including reporters, camera operators, photographers, TV hosts, officials, stewards, security guards, players, and caddies. Whisper it—it was a lovely moment.
Nobody in attendance was old enough to recall the last time a solar eclipse occurred during Masters Week. That was Sunday, May 5, 1940, right as Jimmy Demaret was approaching the second nine. Although it was a difficult day’s play and nobody shot 70, Demaret won by four strokes over Lloyd Mangrum after finishing his final round one under par with a single birdie on the fifteenth hole.
Furthermore, no one present was old enough to remember the last time there was a near-total eclipse here during Masters week.
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